


Taking One for the Team

by Processpending



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, Team Bonding, worried team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:14:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22313851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Processpending/pseuds/Processpending
Summary: What if Malcolm hadn't mentioned that most food made him sick that day in the morgue and he finally gets a coveted invite to team dinner? He goes (of course) and Gil is left worrying about why his profiler is conspicuously absent from work the next morning.
Comments: 37
Kudos: 242





	Taking One for the Team

“Anyone heard from Bright?” Gil strides into the conference room, it was ten in the morning and it was conspicuously silent; meaning Malcolm was absent. Dani and J.T. share a look, Dani checking her phone for a missed text.

“Maybe he’s finally doing something normal like taking a day off.” J.T. offers, shrugging and turning back to the case reports spread before them.

“He seemed fine at dinner last night.” Dani shrugs.

“Dinner?” Gil pins her with a look that makes Dani uneasy.

“Yeah. Tally had us over for dinner last night.” It was rare for Tally to have them over for dinner, JT preferring to keep his work life separate, but every once in a while Tally would wear him down and he’d invite Gil and Dani over for dinner. Dani felt awkward that Gil hadn’t been invited last night but really it was just a matter of timing, the lieutenant had been gone by the time dinner was mentioned.

“Dude’s weird. He ate and then left not even an hour later. Who eats and runs?” JT shook his head, turning back to his report. Tally had been surprised by the abrupt goodbye, in his haste to leave his thanks and farewells had become tangled, making the whole thing the special awkwardness that is Malcolm Bright.

 _"He ate_?” Gil runs his hand down his face, digging out his phone.

“Yeah. Not like we poisoned him or anything.” JT looks from Gil to Dani, seeing if she’s as confused by his reaction. Gil frowns at the comment, the phone ringing itself to voicemail.

“Malcolm has severe stomach issues. He can’t handle most food, it’s why he’s so slender.” It was easy to recall Edrisa’s ridiculous comment the first time she’d met him. 

“You don’t think-” Dani starts, already rising.

“Oh _yeah_ , I do.” Gil rests his hands on his hips, clearly torn. If it’s as bad as it sounds, and with Malcolm it usually is, he should probably have an ambulance sent over. The kid was going to need fluids at the very least and something stronger if he’d started puking up his stomach lining. However, sending medics over when he wasn’t even sure what state Malcolm was in could make it so much worse, especially if he wasn’t there with him.

Gil wasn’t surprised to find that Dani and JT followed as he left the precinct, JT’s confusion making his presence known.

“Why would he eat if he knows he shouldn’t?” Gil can hear the exasperation in JT’s tone, this will just be yet another reason for the detective to shake his head, at a loss at the conundrum that is Malcolm Bright.

“He wants to be part of the team and this is the first time you’ve invited him to dinner. Of course he’s going to say yes, even if it comes at great personal cost.” Dani reminded Gil so much of Jackie some days it hurt. 

Malcolm had tried to hide his sensitive stomach from them for as long as possible, not wanting to make himself any more of a bother than he already perceived himself to be.

It didn’t take long for Jackie to figure it out and when she did she’d held Malcolm all through the night as he got horribly ill, shudders wracking his frail body. But she wouldn’t let him go, not until he understood that it wasn’t a bother, she just wanted him to be well and happy; and even then she held him a little longer.

Gil lets the phone ring to voicemail again as he takes the steps two at a time, not bothering to be buzzed up. Clearly if the kid isn’t answering his phone he’s not going to answer the door or buzzer either. He tries to force away the thoughts of what this means, of what they might find.

Gil unlocks the door to Sunshine's happy chirping and the faint smell of sick.

"Malcolm?" Gil calls, instinct taking over as he sweeps the room. It's not hard to find him, a pile of discarded clothes lay outside the partially cracked bathroom door.

"Kid?" Gil raps softly on the door, when he hears little more than shuffling from within he pushes the door open to find Malcolm huddled on the floor, only in boxers and an undershirt, hair a mess. 

Gil remembered when Jackie had gathered Malcolm into her arms, his body so small even at ten. She'd held him, rubbing calming circles into his belly, bloated from his attempts at eating; at pleasing. But Jackie's not here and Malcolm's too timid to gather into his arms.

"Oh, kid." The cuffs around his wrists telling, his body had worn itself out enough that he'd sought sleep, sought respite, but as usual his body had other plans. Malcolm’s glazed blue eyes watch Gil as he crouches in front of him, blinking slowly, shrinking back into the tub and Gil realizes Malcolm doesn't believe he's really there, thinks it's just a fever dream.

"Hey, city boy." Malcolm's eyes flicker back open, resting on Gil as a trembling hand reaches out, Gil clasps it, noting the clammy palms, Malcolm seeming to almost relax at the contact. Someone had come for him.

This close he can see the stickiness of cold sweat drying on Malcolm's skin. "Alright, let's get you cleaned up." Gil eases Malcolm to his feet, not liking the way he sways and only Gil's hold keeps him from crumpling back to the floor.

Leaning Malcolm against the sink, frees Gil’s hands to undo the cuffs around his wrists before stripping him of the damp shirt. "Ok, let's get you in the shower, it'll make you feel better." He starts the water, grateful that it's a walk in shower, lessening the chance Malcolm will take a spill.

Gil leans out the door, dazed blue eyes tracking his movements "Can you grab me some clothes for him?" 

"I'm not about to go poking through his things." JT hadn’t wandered far from the front door, preferring to take in the space from right where he was.

Dani rolls her eyes behind him, pressing the cup of food she'd gotten for Sunshine into his hand, "I'll get 'em." Gil smiles his thanks and turns back to Malcolm. He checks the temperature, the last thing he needs is to startle him with cold water, but finding it warm enough he takes Malcolm's arm. 

"Come on, get yourself cleaned up." Malcolm either doesn't notice or care that he's still in his boxers and Gil is thankful for little mercies. Gil keeps half an eye on Malcolm, his movements lethargic to start but the shower does seem to help clear his hazy mind. 

Dani appears in the door, arms full of clothes. It had been unsurprisingly easy to find them, Malcolm's organization seemed to extend to every aspect of his life. Soft sleep pants were right next to worn t-shirts, and boxers, like everyone else it seemed, were kept in the top drawer. Right next to spare cuffs.

She passed the clothes off to Gil, who handed her...cuffs. She was surprised when he passed them out to her and it made her feel even worse for Bright, he already hardly got any sleep and what's the one thing you want to do when you feel sick? Curl up in bed. But bed for him didn't mean comfort, it meant terrors and tethers.

Malcolm would stay in the shower until the water ran cold and even then would probably end up curled in the corner, too tired to remove himself. Knowing this, Gil lets him enjoy a few minutes of just standing under the warm spray, noting that Malcolm seems more coherent, before he coaxes the kid out. 

Malcolm lingers in the shower doorway, dazedly blinking at the towel Gil is offering him, trying to align the thoughts swimming through his head. Trying to make them make sense as he swore Gil had talked to someone but there wasn’t anyone else but he’d gotten him things but he hadn’t left. Right?

“Malcolm?” Gil prompts, Malcolm’s gaze snaps up to him.

“I showered in my boxers?” Malcolm frowns down, he knows this part isn’t right.

“I thought that was something we could both do without. You good to get dressed?” Malcolm smiles at his comment and takes the towel, unable to stop the shivers the draft from the open door sends across his damp skin. 

Gil hovers outside the door, listening for any sound that Malcolm had collapsed. When Malcolm finally emerges he hesitates in the doorway, eyeing the bed and seeming to find it wanting, starts to stagger toward his living room only to be brought up short at the sight of Sunshine eating.

“You fed Sunshine?” Malcolm sways where he stands. Dani flicks a look over Malcolm’s shoulder at Gil, the lieutenant not missing the concern that flashes across the detective's face. "You came here to feed Sunshine?"

“Yeah. You didn’t come into work.” Malcolm frowns at that and Gil’s concern upticks, how long had the kid been huddled in that bathroom if he didn’t even notice the sun come up. Malcolm sways where he stands, Gil’s not the only one concerned Malcolm’s going to take an abrupt visit to the floor before long.

“Come on.” Gil is at his side, noting the way Malcolm holds his stomach, his feet dragging as he guides him toward the couch. When they reach the couch Malcolm eases himself down, wincing as his stomach muscles throb at the movement. Dani perches on the edge of the coffee table in front of him, a steaming mug of tea in her hands. 

“Dani? You came.” Malcolm gets that same dopey smile he had the night she’d babysat him and mentioned them being friends. 

“Yeah. I came.” She keeps the exasperation out of her tone, passing him the mug that he accepts like she’d just handed him liquid friendship. 

Malcolm takes the mug in both hands, pressing it into his stomach, curling around the warmth subconsciously and Dani frowns at the gesture, having an idea at what he's doing. She digs out her phone, sending JT another request before jamming it back in her pocket.

The silence sits, Gil next to Malcolm, keeping worried eyes as he debates just how bad the kid is. He knows he's usually running on next to nothing and losing what little he didn't have to spare may mean a trip to the hospital for a bag of liquid nutrients. Malcolm loathes it and it doesn't happen often but when it does Gil is there.

Dani feels her phone vibrate in her pocket, JT had gotten her message and was now inquiring if she was just messing with him. She knew he wouldn't dare _not_ get what she asked for, especially when she didn't answer.

"So. Did you forget to mention something last night or was this another instance of you running into a dangerous situation?" Malcolm's mouth quirks into a grin, his normally slicked back hair falling in his eyes. 

"It's fine-" Malcolm starts, Dani and Gil both knowing the words that will be next.

"Don't pretend there's nothing to tell." Dani's tone has the grin slipping from Malcolm's face as he ducks his head, even Gil gives her a look. As though her words had made the pain worse, Malcolm presses the mug closer to his stomach and Dani has the fleeting thought that she wishes JT would hurry up. 

"Hey," Malcolm raises his head, blue eyes leery and something inside Dani eases, remembers he thinks himself broken. Unfixable. "It scared us when you didn’t show up for work this morning. Even JT was worried." 

"JT's here?" Malcolm looks around and Dani would be insulted if she didn't know him so well, didn't see the surprise and uncertainty when JT included him in the dinner invite. She could only imagine how many pranks he'd bore the brunt of, making him distrustful.

"He was here, he stepped out but he’ll be right back.” Malcolm nodded, his mind too tired to follow the many things going on in that sentence. He tries sipping the tea, the delicious steam enticing him but no sooner has the drink reached his stomach then another cramp tears through him. He doubles over, Dani quickly grabbing the mug before he can add scalded to his list of ailments. Gil rubs his back, ready to support him to the bathroom as Malcolm fights to keep the tea down, hard swallow after hard swallow, the memory of purging on already tender muscles too fresh.

The buzzer sounds, Dani being the only one to spare it a glance. Any questions JT had about her request is cutoff at the sight of Malcolm on the couch, ragged breaths drawn through his nose. Dani’s surprised when JT follows her over, but he sits in the chair next to the couch and things shift closer to normal. 

Dani digs in the bag, surprised when she finds the PediaSure bottles she was seeking already cold. She doesn’t know how JT did it but she’s grateful he did. She’d noticed Malcolm had them before, back when she’d kept his drugged ass from doing something even more stupid. At the time she’d written it off as a hangover cure, though after this morning she’d realized this is probably what kept him going when things got bad, or he did something extra stupid like eat dinner with friends. _Uninformed_ friends. 

While Gil was making sure Malcolm didn’t pass out in the bathroom, she’d poked around his kitchen hoping to find bottles that weren’t expired. But Bright, being Bright, meant that his self-preservation skills were closer to negative than positive. 

She deposits one of the bottles on the table where she was sitting on her way to the kitchen, Gil giving her an appraising look and Malcolm eyeing the bottle as though it were going to bite him. Clearly his stomach isn’t happy but she’s hoping she can fix that; besides, he _needs_ to get something back in him, he really doesn’t have any to spare. 

“I should make you be the one to tell Tally that it wasn’t her cooking that had you fleeing the house last night.” Malcolm had tried to straighten when he became aware of JT’s presence, but it had proved harder than he thought and his shoulders were still hunched as he turned tired eyes on him. 

“ _Tally_ .” If anyone else had said his wife’s name with that tone JT would be quick to _remind_ them just whose wife she was. But with Malcolm JT felt bad for mentioning it, knowing that Malcolm probably wouldn’t take it as a joke; as his mask to the concern over what happened. 

The pain was clear upon Malcolm’s features, he’d only met Tally a couple times, but she had never shied away from him, even knowing his history. And then to be invited into her home and to her table, only to nearly cripple over in pain before dessert was even served, before bolting with words he wasn’t sure even added up to an excuse. 

Pangs of embarrassment and regret had eaten at Malcolm as he’d fled home last night, turning to shame as his mind replayed the looks on their faces before he’d darted off. 

“I”m so sorry. Of course I’ll tell her...it wasn’t her cooking. She doesn’t think…” Gil knows the look in Malcolm’s eyes, the kid has every intent of going and telling her. Right now. 

“Dude. I’ll tell her. But I can’t promise the next time she sees you she won’t start lecturing you in Spanish.” JT loved when Tally got riled up and slipped into Spanish without realizing; mainly when it wasn’t directed _at_ him. Bright nods in a way that lets JT know he’s once again misunderstood. 

With a huff, JT tries for what he hopes is the last time. “She’s gonna want a list of things you _can_ handle and probably a list of the things you can’t for next time. I would be prepared if I were you.” 

“Next time?” JT fights the urge to roll his eyes at the hope in Bright’s voice because of course that’s what he would cling to. 

“Yeah. Next time.” JT is mercifully saved by Dani resuming her seat on the coffee table, frowning when she has to move the yet unopened drink. 

“Here.” She hands Malcolm a hot water bottle, freshly filled and just this side of too hot, knowing in minutes it will cool to a more reasonable temperature. Malcolm accepts it with both hands, tilting it first one way and then the other, watching and feeling as the water sloshes inside.

“I’m supposed to...drink it?” Dani catches herself mid-motion to pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course Malcolm wouldn’t know what a hot water bottle is. 

“Graduates from Harvard but eluded by a water bottle.” Dani mumbles, Gil trying his best to contain his laughter. She plucks the bottle from his hands, Malcolm yelping when she pulls up the bottom of his shirt, the brief flash of defined abs sorted away for later surprise. Before he can finish his weak flailing she’s pressed the water bottle to his stomach and pulled his shirt back down, leaving him with a little poochie belly.

“ _Oh._ ” The surprise and pleasure clear as he wraps his arms around himself, pressing the bottle closer.

“I’m surprised you don’t remember those, Jackie used them on you a few times.” Gil squeezes the back of Malcolm’s neck.

“Mmm. She held me when I was sick. I miss her.” Malcolm leans into the comforting touch, eyes half-lidded and Gil’s certain he wouldn’t so easily admit his thoughts if he weren’t so sick and tired. Gil doesn’t know what to say so instead he just rubs his thumb in small circles where it lays, watching as Malcolm slumps a little more into the couch, his hold on the hot water bottle never loosening. 

They would have stayed like that for who knows how long if Gil’s phone didn’t sound off, the detective frowning at the name on the screen. With reluctance he rises, answering with his last name he takes a few steps from the couch, turning so he could keep an eye on Bright. Without Gil next to him, Malcolm starts to list, slowly enough his body’s automatic correction doesn't kick in, instead he frowned softly at the absence of warmth and support. 

Dani moved, sitting on Malcolm’s other side and gently tugged him towards her when he made no move to do so himself. That was all the invitation it took for Dani to find herself with a half-lucid Malcolm snuggling into her, tucking his head on her shoulder and shifting until his side was pressed flush against hers, arms never easing their grip on the water bottle. JT just shakes his head, not for the first time wondering how this kid survived the FBI for however long he did.

Before Gil even says it Dani knows he has to go, can see the reluctance in his eyes as he looks at Malcolm, can see him debating with what he knows he _needs_ to do and what he desperately _wants_ to do. 

“I’ll stay with him.” Dani's making the offer aloud before she’s even fully thought it through herself; she just hopes the surprise doesn’t show on her face. Gil hesitates, eyes flicking back to Malcolm, but he just rubs his cheek against Dani’s shoulder, settling in harder. 

Gil finally relents and with an order to call if they need anything or if Malcolm gets worse, JT and Gil leave. It’s only Malcolm’s silence that cues them in he’s fallen asleep, Gil smiling down softly at him where he’s finally getting the rest his body desperately needs. JT snags the bottle Malcolm has yet to touch, sticking it in the fridge next to the rest, frowning at the mostly empty shelves. They were going to have their work cut out for them at the next dinner.

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda forgot I wrote this...I happened across a random bit in my email drafts and then tracked the poor abandoned document down.
> 
> Just 2 more days till we find out what happens! Those promos and the opening clip are killing me!!!
> 
> Thought, comments, emojis, kudos and random outbursts are welcomed and encouraged!


End file.
